INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s hospitals have been pushed to the limit during the omicron surge as nearly half of the state’s population remains unvaccinated against COVID-19.
A new WalletHub study points to just how bad the situation has become in the Hoosier State: Indiana is the second least safe state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indiana ranked 50th on the list of “Safest States During COVID-19,” which includes the 50 states, plus Washington D.C. Only Oklahoma is worse off than Indiana, according to WalletHub.
The rankings take into account vaccination rate, positive testing rate, hospitalization rate, death rate and transmission rate.
The five categories are averaged together and graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the safest conditions. Indiana came out with a score of 18.35 out of 100.
According to the study, Indiana is 49th in vaccination rate, 40th in positive testing rate, 32nd in hospitalization rate, 45th in death rate and 18th in transmission rate through Wednesday.
The Indiana National Guard and federal medical personnel teams are still assisting at hospitals around the state, including IU Health Methodist Hospital, as heath care officials plead with Hoosiers to get vaccinated saying, "We can't do this alone."
On Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Health reported 129 COVID-19 deaths, 5,536 new positive cases and 3,206 hospitalizations. The state’s 7-day positivity rate among all tests was 30.5%.
Nearly 20,300 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
-
IMPD officer injured in shooting on Indy's far east side
IMPD is investigating after an officer was shot on the far east side of Indianapolis on Friday evening.AI Hackathon hopes to encourage kids to go into the tech field
At the hackathon, local high school students leaned skill that could lead them to career in advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and data science.Police: Man was driving nearly 100 mph before crashing into SUV full of kids
More serious charges were filed for a driver, who police say sped through a red light and smashed into an SUV carrying several children.Braun unveils plan to lower Indiana property taxes if elected governor
Mike Braun wants to lead Indiana as its next governor. He is now promising to make changes to the state's property tax structure if he is elected.